I had the opportunity to preach for the 2nd time at Red Bank UMC this past Sunday. I chose the lectionary passage from Colossians.
Below is the transcript of the sermon, recognizing that things are added or left out in the moment.
The music was beautiful and worshipful. I appreciated that the musician played the 12 days of Christmas as part of the postlude. It was fitting as it was the 5th day of Christmas.
Sermon:
Colossians 3:12-17 (CEB)
December 29, 2024
Red Bank UMC
1st Sunday of Christmastide (White)
5th day of Christmas
Good morning! It is good to be here with you today on this 5th day of Christmas, the 1st Sunday of Christmastide.
Yes, you heard that correctly. The season of Christmas began on the 24th and goes through Epiphany, January 6th, when we celebrate the gifts Jesus received from the wise men. I know. Some of you were done with Christmas the day after. But since it’s still the Christmas season or Christmastide, let’s explore what it means to live out the true meaning of Christmas, based on today’s passage from Colossians.
As you hear the Scripture today, listen for what words or phrases stand out to you.
Colossians 3:12-17 (CEB)
12 Therefore, as God’s choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Be tolerant with each other and, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other. 14 And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 The peace of Christ must control your hearts—a peace into which you were called in one body. And be thankful people. 16 The word of Christ must live in you richly. Teach and warn each other with all wisdom by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 Whatever you do, whether in speech or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God the Father through him.
GOD IS STILL SPEAKING.
THANKS BE TO GOD.
What word(s) stood out to you?
As I reflected on this passage, I couldn’t help but consider that this passage helps us live out the true meaning of Christmas. Throughout the Advent Season our focus was on the coming of the Christ Child and we focused on hope, peace, joy, and love. Now that we are in the Christmas season, we begin to look at the teachings of Christ and others to be reminded of what it means to follow the Christ child.
Here are some of the words and phrases that stood out to me:
*put on compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness, and patience.
*13 Be tolerant with each
other
*forgive each other
*14 And
over all these things put on love
*15 The peace of Christ must control your hearts
Over all the things listed: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance and forgiveness, put on love. Love is the outerwear, the first part of us that people come in contact with. Then they will experience our compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness.
I don’t know about you when you study Scripture, but when there is a command form of the verb “put on”, then I start to wonder how I might do that. Other English versions use “clothe yourselves”.
What would it look like if we were to dress ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love?
What would we look like? What would we BE like? How would we respond or react to others?
I spent some time with my great niece Christmas Day. She will be three in January. She is so proud of her princess dress and wanted to show it off. She can put it on by herself. In fact, she showed me that she can put on all her clothes herself. It made her happy to show me that she could do that. As I reflect on that, I wonder if I might could take some of what she has and apply it to putting on these things here in Colossians. Now, it’s not a literal princess dress or pajama bottoms or socks, etc. But, if I intentionally think about putting on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love, then maybe, just maybe I’ll live them out.
These are the virtues that we are told to live into.
I brought my Jesus therapy doll with me today. I learned about him in the 2 year Academy for Spiritual Formation that I attended from 2011-2013. One just like this one was present in our worship space and in our learning space. His clothing changed for different worship themes… from remembering our baptism, etc. When I had the opportunity to get one, I did. He travels with me to Emmaus Walks, to hospitals. His typical clothing is not a tie dye shirt with a heart on it. But, as I was preparing this sermon, I realized that Jesus offers us the best example of putting on love.
Jesus put on love on top of everything else. If we are going to follow Christ, then we too will learn to love.
We are encouraged in this passage to sing hymns. There is a hymn “Love Came Down at Christmas” by Christina Rossetti in our UMC hymnals-- #242.
1 Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, love divine;
love was born at Christmas
star and angels gave the sign.
2 Worship we the Godhead,
love incarnate, love divine;
worship we our Jesus
what shall be our sacred sign?
3 Love shall be our token,
love be yours and love be mine;
love to God and neighbour,
love for prayer and gift and sign.
As we continue our journey through these 12 days of Christmas
toward Epiphany, how will we live out the meaning of Christmas?
Howard Thurman wrote “The Work of Christmas” in 1973.
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among others,
To make music in the heart.
The last verse of today’s passage is this: 17 Whatever you do, whether in speech or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God the Father through him.
What
are you doing to live out your faith, to live like Jesus, to love like Jesus?
Will you pray with me?
God of Christmas, God of
unspeakable grace,
forgive and renew us
all,
that our lives may declare
the wonders of that Holy Love
that has called us out of darkness
into glorious light.
Amen!
Adapted from Bruce
Prewer, http://www.bruceprewer.com/DocC/C06xmasd.htm.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Preaching is one of those life giving things for me. I enjoy the preparation and the actual preaching.
Maybe there is a word for you here, whether in the Scripture passage itself, in the hymn listed, from Dr. Howard Thurman's writings, or from something I wrote. Who knows how the Divine Mystery might be working?!
Peace,
Rev. Deb
No comments:
Post a Comment